Something in the Stars
by PJHarveyfan
Summary: Set in early season three, Lorelai goes on a roadtrip with Rory, and discovers something along the way. L/L.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: This was originally written for a ficathon, so I included the prompt at the beginning._

* * *

_Prompt:  
Something in the stars said you and me  
I don't know where this feeling comes from  
Surely it was meant to be  
For I have known you even in my dreams  
Martina McBride, Born to Give My Love to You_

_Could have: A public declaration_

_Shouldn't have: Angst_

Lorelai awoke to the purring of her fuzzy alarm clock.

"Ugh," she groaned, turning off the clock, after looking at the time, which read seven o'clock. She sat up, and asked the clock groggily, "When did I set you?"

"Lorelai, you up?" Luke's voice called from downstairs.

Lorelai slipped on her bunny slippers, and began descending the stairs.

"Yes, unfortunately!" She called back, "Why did you have to set my alarm?" She asked as she entered the kitchen, to see Luke making coffee.

"Good morning to you, too," He answered, turning away from the coffee pot, and giving her a peck on the lips.

"And remember," He said turning back to the coffee pot, "You wanted me to set your alarm."

"Yes, but I didn't mean it," She said, pouting, as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"Well, now I know," He replied, setting a mug of coffee down in front of Lorelai.

"Ah, thank you! You are my savior, and you are now forgiven for setting my alarm clock!" Lorelai said, gratefully, as she sniffed the coffee.

"Hey wait a sec…" She said, turning to face Luke who was now cleaning off the counter, "this is decaf!"

"I told you, you need to have decaf when you're pregnant!" Luke replied.

"Ugh!" Lorelai groaned, "Fine! But only because I don't currently have the energy to find the regular coffee, and because I don't want our kid to be endlessly teased because it has 18 toes!"

"Well, whatever you need to make yourself drink the decaf. But I got to open up the diner, so I'm out," Luke smiled, and gave Lorelai a kiss.

"Oh my god!"

Lorelai awoke with a start. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It read three o' seven a.m. She quickly threw off her covers, and ran down the stairs.

"Rory!" She yelled, turning on Rory's light, and sitting down on her bed.

"Whaaaat?" Rory moaned, rubbing her eyes, and then glancing at her clock.

"Three o'clock, mom? What could you possibly need to wake me up for at three in the morning!"

"I had another one!"

"Another what, mom?" Rory asked, sitting up.

"Another kid with Bono," Lorelai replied sarcastically, "What do you think!"

"Oh," Rory replied, now more attentive, "Another Luke dream."

"Yes, and in this one, I was yet again mad at him for setting my alarm, and he gave me decaf coffee—"

"Again," Rory interrupted.

"Yes, and I was having his kid, and I agreed to drink decaf!"

"Wow, you agreed to drink decaf…"

"Yes," Lorelai said, exasperated, "But that's beside the point. What do you think these dreams mean?" Lorelai asked Rory, imploringly.

"I think they mean that you're in love with Luke," Rory replied, lying back down.

"Now," Rory continued, "Go back to bed!"

"No, I don't wanna go back to bed! Loreali said, childishly. Rory ignored her and closed her eyes, trying to feign sleep.

"Hey, how about we go on a road trip!" Lorelai said, excitedly, bouncing a bit on the bed.

"Mom, can't you just go back to sleep?" Rory pleaded.

"No, I can't, so get your things packed and we're leaving at five sharp!" Lorelai said, playfully hitting Rory.

"Fine, but remember to bring some CD's this time, I don't wanna be stuck listening to Hootie and the Blow Fish again!" Rory relented, sitting up.

"Yay!" Lorelai cried, bouncing up off Rory's bed.

"Rory, I'm getting in the car!" Lorelai yelled, dragging her suitcase along behind her, walking in the direction of the door, and quickly glancing at the clock by the phone to see that it was six a.m. Wow, Lorelai thought as she waited for Rory by the door, I'm making good time! Just then Rory came sleepily out of her room, also dragging a suitcase.

"Thanks to you I got about four hours of sleep!" Rory said, as she passed Lorelai on her way out the door.

"Aw, yes, but I went through the pain of labor for you, so I'm allowed to do that!" Lorelai replied, following Rory.

"Now," Rory said, getting in the passenger side of the jeep, "Do we have a map?"

Lorelai threw her suitcase on top of Rory's in the back of the jeep, and as she got in on the driver's side she replied, "Honey, I don't think I've ever owned a map in my life. So, to answer your question, no we do not have a map."

"Great," Rory said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, it's more exciting this way!" Lorelai said, giving Rory a playful slap on her knee.

"Yes, but it's also more dangerous this way."

"Aw, that's no fun!" Lorelai replied, as she started up the jeep, and backed out of the driveway.

"Well, when we get lost, and get attacked by wild boars, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Where do you think we're going to end up that we're going to get attacked by wild boars?" Lorelai asked, smiling.

"Well, we don't have a map, so we could end up anywhere!" Rory replied, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Okay sweets, I think you need just a little more sleep."

"You're right, I'm going back to sleep, wake me up when we get somewhere where I can buy a map."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure I'll do that," Lorelai smiled at her daughter, as Rory closed her eyes, and leaned her head against the window. Just then they passed Luke's. Lorelai could feel a twinge, as she looked at Luke getting donuts out for the day. She had to admit, the dreams she had been having about her and him together actually made her feel content, if not even a bit delighted. But, Luke was just a friend, nothing more. As she drove through the green light, so many thoughts ran through her head. And they all centered around on person: Luke.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, sleepyhead," Lorelai said, smiling, as Rory opened her eyes, and sat up.

"So, do you have any idea where we are? Rory asked, looking at their surroundings, which consisted of trees.

"Well, we are somewhere that is surrounded by trees… hey maybe we're in the redwood forest!" Lorelai said, playfully.

"How long have I been asleep?" Rory asked.

"Just about two hours," Lorelai replied, looking at the dashboard clock, which read eight o' clock.

"So, you think that in two hours we've already reached the redwood forest?"

"It's possible," Lorelai said, grinning.

Rory sighed. "So, why aren't you listening to any music?" She implored, realizing the absence of music.

"Well…" Lorelai began, but before she could continue Rory interrupted.

"You forgot the tunes!"

"Maybe…"

"No! What are we supposed to do now?"

"I have an idea!" Lorelai said, cheerfully, "Why don't we play a game?"

"Like what?" Rory asked, unenthused.

"Well, we ask a question, like 'When will Michael Jackson stop hanging babies out windows?', and then we turn the radio to a random station, and the song that is playing is the answer!"

"Okay, anything to bide time, I suppose."

"Okay, I'll go first… radio, oh godly radio, when will we find some good coffee?" Lorelai asked, jokingly. She turned the radio on, and pressed a button. The song 'I Would Walk 500 Miles' by The Proclaimers comes on, right at the part that says '500 miles'.

"Ughhh, does that mean that it's going to be five hundred miles before we find good coffee?" Rory groaned.

"Well, it must be true if that's what the godly radio says… now it's your turn, ask a question!"

"Um…" Rory murmured, looking around, "How crazy is my mom?"

"Hey!" Lorelai snapped, as Rory turned to a station, and the song 'Bye Bye Bye' by N'Sync plays.

"Haha," Rory laughed, pointing at her mom, "your boy band crazy!"

"That's not very nice! Radio, oh radio, how long until I kick Rory's butt out of the car?" Lorelai teased, turning to a different station, and the song 'Don't Wait Too Long' by Frank Sinatra is playing.

"Hah, I guess what Frank is trying to tell is that I shouldn't wait too long to kick your butt out!" Lorelai laughed.

"Well, go right ahead, but then whatever will you do for entertainment?"

"Maybe I'll stop at a roadside shack and by a squirrel," Lorelai said, wistfully.

"Suuure, too bad the squirrel won't have my ability to talk. Now, radio, what is the meaning of life?" Rory says, as she turns to another station and the song 'Bang on the Drum all day' by Todd Rundgren plays.

"Wow, I was right all along, the meaning to life really is banging on drums!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Okay my turn," Lorelai continued, "Radio, what is Luke doing right now?" Lorelai wasn't sure why she had asked that, it had just sort of came out. She hoped Rory didn't get suspicious; she was so tired of telling people that she and Luke were just friends. But, she thought, is there a reason for Rory to get suspicious? No, no of course not, Luke is just my friend, and that's it, she told herself. She changed the radio to another station, and 'Macarena' plays. Lorelai and Rory burst out laughing.

"You really think Luke is doing the Macarena right now?" Rory managed, through giggles.

"I don't know," Lorelai replied, still laughing, "Want to call and see?" Lorelai thought that it'd be absolutely hilarious to call and annoy and confuse Luke, but she knew, deep down, that there was other reasoning behind wanting to call Luke. So, Lorelai got out her cell phone, and began dialing the diner's number.

"Luke's," Luke answered, on the first ring.

"Wow, that was quick, were you taking a break from Macarenaing?" Lorelai asked, sniggering.

"What? Lorelai? What are you talking about?" Luke asked, clearly confused.

"Luke, you don't have to hide it anymore, we know that you secretly do the Macarena in the storage room at the diner," Lorelai replied, covering the mouth of the phone while she laughed with Rory.

"What? Lorelai, I can't be bothered every time you want to play a joke on me. I'm a very busy man."

"Dirty! But anyways, you're going to have to be bothered, because I'm not going to be coming to the diner for a few days, so I have to do all my annoying over the phone," Lorelai told him matter-of-factly.

"Why aren't you going to be coming to the diner?"

"Oh well, Rory and me decided to go on a little road trip."

"More like you decided," Rory said in the background.

"Oh, god. Did you at least bring a map this time?"

"Hey, maps are no fun!" Lorelai declared, childishly.

"Hey, whatever you say."

"Yes, whatever I say, because I am ruler of all!"

"Oh god," Rory murmured, taking the phone from Lorelai, who defiantly said 'Hey!'

"Luke, stop boosting her ego, it's already big enough," Rory said, commandingly into the phone.

"Hey!" Lorelai exclaimed, again, grabbing the phone back from Rory.

"Well, Luke, this is where I say ta-ta. But don't worry, I'll be back," Lorelai said, in mock of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"Yeah, yeah," Luke said hanging up.

Lorelai clicked the 'end' button on the phone, and said, "Well, as long as I have the phone out I'd better call Sookie." And she dialed the number of the Independence Inn.

"Independence Inn," Michel answered the phone, sounding like his always annoyed self.

"Hello, this is, uh, Tookie Clothespin, and I want to book a room for October 5th of 2020," Lorelai said trying to disguise her voice, while suppressing giggles.

"Lorelai? Is that you? Why do you annoy me like this? Why, oh why, do you constantly torture me?" Michel said, and Lorelai thought she could hear him stamping his foot.

"Yes, Michel, it's yours truly, could you please give the phone to Sookie?"

"Fine," Michel said, impatiently.

Lorelai could hear Michel walking into the kitchen, and calling Sookie's name, then she heard Sookie saying something about stirring. Finally she heard Sookie's voice.

"Hello?" Sookie asked.

"Hey, Sook, it's me."

"Lorelai! Honey where are you?"

"Well, I'm on a road trip with Rory."

"Oh," Sookie paused for a second, and then continued, "Why?"

"Um, well, because…" Lorelai said, racking her brain for an answer. Why had she gone on this trip? She asked herself.

"Because why?"

"Uh, for fun," Lorelai replied, hoping Sookie wouldn't ask about it anymore.

"Well, how long are you planning on being gone?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai hadn't thought of that. "Um, no longer than a couple days."

"Okay, well have fun!"

"We will, thanks Sook," Lorelai said, hanging up her phone.

"So, wanna continue the radio game?" Lorelai asked Rory, who was now reading Middlemarch, by George Eliot.

Rory looked up from her book, "Not really," she said, and went back to reading.

"Well, wanna play a different game?"

"No, not really," Rory said, not looking up from her book.

"Well, what do you expect me to do for entertainment?"

"Fine, I'll play a game—"

"Yes!"

"But," Rory continued, "Answer me one thing first."

Oh no, Lorelai thought, but smiled and said, "Okay, shoot."

"Why are we really on this road trip?"

The eternal question, Lorelai thought, why are we really on this road trip? Lorelai couldn't even answer that for herself, though deep down, she did know the real answer, but she didn't want to think of that, so she pushed it away, and with a deep breath she answered, "Honestly? I don't know."

Her answer was partly true, when she had originally decided on the road trip, she really hadn't known why, or maybe she had deep down, but all she'd known was that she needed to take a break. Now she knew why she needed to take a break, to think. To think about him. How could she think about him if she was seeing him every time she went into the diner to have some coffee, and every time she went in there he was smiling at her. Oh how she loved that smile. Lorelai began to smile just thinking about it.

"Mom?" Rory aroused Lorelai from her thoughts.

"Yeah, hon?"

"What are you smiling about?"

"Oh, nothing, you know just random smiling. does it all the time."

"Alright…"

"Okay, so we gonna play a game now?" Anything to change the subject, Lorelai thought.

"Yeah, sure, but not the radio game," Rory said, dog-earing her book, and putting it away.

"Aw, you're no fun!" Lorelai pouted.

"Well, choose a game, or I'm going back to reading."

"No, you choose! I can't think of anything."

"Then I'll go back to reading, and you can concentrate on driving," Rory said, reaching for her book.

"But concentrating on driving is no fun!" Lorelai protested.

"Try it, maybe you'll find it fun," Rory said, as she begun reading again.

"Fine," Lorelai relented, focusing her attention on the never ending road.


	3. Chapter 3

For a while Lorelai occupied her attention with the road, and where she would turn, and when she would stop for gas. But after a while her thoughts turned back to Luke. After all, she had taken this trip to think about him, and their relationship, which, for the moment, was 'just friends'. The more Lorelai thought about him, the more she thought that she would enjoy being more than just friends with him. Then it came to her, just like that; she liked Luke, liked him as more than a friend that is. Abruptly Lorelai made a U-turn right there on the highway. Luckily there was no one else on the road at that moment.

Rory jerked her head up, "What was that?" She cried.

"We're going back home," Lorelai said simply, with her attention on the road.

"Yes, but why the sudden change of heart?"

Lorelai took a deep breath, and then said it all in one breath, "IlikeLuke."

"What?"

Lorelai slowed down her words more this time, "I…Like…Luke." Lorelai turned slowly to look at Rory, and saw the clear expression of shock on her face.

"What!"

"Do I really need to say it again?"

"Wait…you like Luke? But…how?"

"What do you mean how?"

"Well how'd you figure this out?"

"Uhh…I don't know…I guess I was just thinking about it…and uh, I realized that I like him…"

"Okay…but what happens if you two actually do get together, and then you break up? How will we get good coffee?" Rory demanded.

"What little faith you have in me!"

"Well, you've broken up with every other guy you've dated," Rory mumbled.

"Hey, that's not very nice! And if me and Luke do get together, which might not even happen, because who knows if he likes me, we won't break up!" Lorelai said, keeping her focus on the road.

"So, you're already thinking about marriage?" Rory smirked.

"No, I was just saying…" Lorelai felt slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, okay," Rory said, her voice giving away the fact that she wasn't completely convinced.

"Hey, what happened to reading?"

"Oh, I'm not exactly interested in that anymore," Rory said, smirking again, and putting away her book.

"So," Rory continued, "now that you've realized your eternal love for Luke, how do you plan to woo him?"

"Hey this is not funny…"

"Seriously though, are you just going to walk into the diner and yell 'Luke Danes I really like you!'?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm planning on doing Rory," Lorelai said, sarcasm filling her voice, even though she was thinking that that might not be such a bad idea after all.

"Well, as long as you have a solid plan," Rory said shrugging.

"Exactly."

Just then Lorelai saw the exit for Stars Hollow and turned off. She was now driving along the street that led to Luke's.

"So…" Rory nudged her, as they drove up beside the diner.

"I'll go in, don't worry," Lorelai said, unbuckling her seatbelt.

Lorelai took a deep breath, and opened the door.

"Hey! Aren't you coming with?" Lorelai asked, when she saw that Rory wasn't moving from her seat.

"You need me to help you tell Luke you like him?" Rory questioned.

"Well, no… but come with me!"

"Fine, but only because I desperately need coffee," Rory said, unbuckling and following Lorelai into the diner. It was very crowded, and the only open spots were at the counter. Lorelai and Rory went over to the counter and sat down. Luke came out of the kitchen just then, and noticed them sitting there.

"Hey, aren't you two supposed to be on a road trip?"

"Well, we were, but we had to come back, because mom has to tell you something very important," Rory said, smirking.

"Hey!" Lorelai said, pinching Rory.

"Well, it's true," Rory said.

"Well, whatever it is, can it wait a sec, I have hot plates here," Luke said, motioning to the plates he was holding.

"Actually, Luke, it can't wait," Lorelai said.

"I'm sure it can," Luke replied, going over to a table and setting the plates down.

"Now what is it, did you come back so quickly from your trip, because you needed some coffee?" Luke asked, coming back behind the counter.

"Well…that and…umm…maybe we should go up to the apartment…"

"I'm sure whatever it is you can tell me down here, plus Jess and what's-her-face are up there."

"Okay…Luke…"

"Yes?"

"Don't interrupt!"

"Okay."

"Luke…I…umm…I like you."

"What?"

"I like you…"

"I like you too, Lorelai."

"I mean as more than a friend…"

"Me too."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Luke and Lorelai began smiling at each other, and then they realized that just about everyone in the diner had stopped talking, and was staring at them.

"Okay everyone shows over; go back to your lives!" Luke said.

But everyone continued to stare, until Miss Patty finally said, "Oh this is so great! I always knew you two would stop being so stubborn and get together!" Just about everyone in the diner nodded their heads in agreement, but then went back to talking amongst themselves.

Both Luke and Lorelai began blushing, and Lorelai smiled at Luke, and said, "Well, I guess I'll just go now…you know get unpacked, and you need to get back to work…"

"Okay, well, I guess I'll see you later then…" Luke said.

"Yeah, we'll be here for dinner…" Lorelai said, backing out of the diner, and then bumping into one of the tables. Lorelai mumbled apologizes to the people at the table, and then turned walking out of the diner with a smirking Rory.

"Smooth move," Rory laughed, once they were getting into the jeep.

"Oh shut up," Lorelai said, turning the car on, and pulling out.

"You two were just like Jennifer and Oliver in Love Story," Rory cooed, "Well, except for the fact that you don't have a terminal illness…"

"So, now what?" Lorelai asked.

"What do you mean, now what?"

"Well, now that Luke and I have established that we both like each other, what do we do?"

"You're asking me for relationship advice?"

"Well, I mean, do I just skip in to the diner tonight and act completely normal, or do I ask him about when we should have our first date? What?"

"Well, how 'bout you start by going behind the counter tonight, and giving him a passionate kiss," Rory grinned.

"Oh yeah, sounds like the perfect plan," Lorelai replied, sarcastically, just as they pulled into the driveway.

Rory smiled, and she and Lorelai began unpacking the car in silence.

"You know it was such a waste of time to pack all this crap," Rory said, after they had finished bringing in the last suitcase.

"Hey, missy, this is not crap! These are our prized possessions!" Lorelai said, motioning to the pile of suitcases sitting in the living room.

"Why did you bring three suitcases anyway? How long did you really expect us to be gone?" Rory questioned.

"It never hurts to be prepared, miss 'I'm a minimalist and only packed one suitcase'!"

"Just what will you do when we backpack across Europe and we'll be gone for over a month?"

"I'll just have to bring a lot of backpacks! Now start getting unpacked, and we'll go have dinner."

"Hah, we'll be having dinner with your _boyfriend_!" Rory laughed.

"Hey no mocking of the mama!" Lorelai called, while dragging one of her suitcases up the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

Lorelai finally finished with her unpacking, which consisted of throwing her clothes into the closet, and putting all her make-up supplies on the counter in the bathroom. She kicked her suitcases under the bed, and jogged down the stairs calling out Rory's name. Upon hearing her name, Rory came out of her room.

"You ready?" Lorelai asked.

"Yup," Rory replied.

"Okay let's go," Lorelai said, as they walked out the door.

They walked up to the counter, and took seats on two of the available stools.

Luke walked up to them, "Hi," he said, smiling at Lorelai.

Lorelai smiled back, and said, "Hi."

"Oh god. Luke I want a burger, and chili cheese fries," Rory said.

"Yeah, me too," Lorelai said, still smiling at Luke.

"Oh, uh, okay," Luke said, writing their orders down on a slip of paper, and taking it over to Caesar in the kitchen.

"So, Lorelai…" Luke said when he went back over to them.

"So, Luke…" Lorelai said.

"We should go on a date," Luke said, hesitantly.

"Like right now?" Lorelai asked.

"No, I mean… just, we should go on a date… at some point."

Rory giggled, and Lorelai gave her a 'stop or I won't let you have any of my candy!' look.

"That'd be nice," Lorelai said, turning her attention back to Luke.

"Luke, order up!" Caesar called holding out Lorelai and Rory's plates.

"Oh thank god! Food!" Lorelai said, gratefully, when Luke put the plates in front of them.

"So, how about tomorrow night?" Luke asked.

"How about tomorrow night what?" Lorelai asked between bites.

"Our date. Wanna do it tomorrow night?"

"Oh, sure."

"Okay, it's a plan, then. You can just meet me here at seven."

"Okay," Lorelai said, then Luke went to go serve some customers, and Lorelai and Rory started chatting about Paris Hilton's latest scandal.

"Rory!" Lorelai shouted, from her bedroom.

"What?" Rory called back, climbing the stairs to Lorelai's bedroom.

"What should I wear?" Lorelai wailed, as Rory entered the room, and saw Lorelai sitting on her bed, with clothes spread out all around her.

"Come on, you're asking me for advice on what to wear?"

"Yes!"

"Okay… how 'bout your shirt with the rhinestone penis on it?"

"Come on, I seriously can't figure out what to wear!"

"Okay… um…" Rory said, going over to Lorelai's closet, "what do you want to wear? Something casual, something formal, or something slutty?" Rory smiled when she said the last one.

"I don't know, what do you think I should wear?"

"How 'bout this dress?" Rory said, pulling out a glittery pink dress, with a V-neck, and ruffles on the bottom.

"Maybe, but that might be too fancy. I mean, what if he's just taking me to Al's?" Lorelai asked, eyeing the dress.

"I highly doubt he's taking you to Al's," Rory scoffed.

"Okay, but even so, what if he isn't taking me somewhere that fancy?"

Rory sighed, and put back the dress, and pulled out another one, this time it was a simple black one.

"Okay, what about this one?" She asked.

"Hmm… okay, I guess."

"Okay good, now put it on, and we'll go over to the diner, because right now it's six forty-five." Rory said, looking at her watch.

"Okay," Lorelai agreed.

"Mom! Are you ready yet?" Rory called from the bottom of the stairs, sixteen minutes later.

"It's only seven o' one!" Lorelai called back, glancing at the clock that was on her bathroom counter next to her, where she was doing her make-up.

"Well, hurry up, you don't want to keep Luke waiting," Rory said, impatiently, then added, "Plus, I'm hungry!"

"Okay, I'm ready!" Lorelai said, coming down the stairs, in the black dress Rory had picked out, and a pair of glittery high heels.

"Do you know where my sequin-y bracelet is?" Lorelai asked, looking under a lamp.

"You mean my sequin bracelet?" Rory asked, "Yeah, it's on my arm."

"Oh well, can I borrow it?"

"Sure," Rory replied, taking the bracelet off.

"A-ha!" Lorelai said, taking the bracelet.

"The band?" Rory asked.

"No, why would I be talking about the band A-ha?" Lorelai asked, snapping the bracelet on her arm.

"I have no clue," Rory said, "Now come on, it's already seven o' five!"

"A couple minutes never hurt anyone," Lorelai said, as they walked out the door.

Lorelai and Rory entered Luke's right at seven ten. Luke was standing behind the counter in the suit Lorelai had bought him when the mall had had the 60 million percent off sale.

"Hey, you're late," Luke said, when Lorelai and Rory sat down at the counter.

"Luke, you should really know me by now, I am always late," Lorelai replied.

"By the way, you look nice, I like the suit," Lorelai said, eyeing his suit.

"Oh, uh, yeah, it's the one you bought me… and you look nice too," He replied.

"Thanks."

"So, we should probably go, we have reservations at a restaurant in Woodbury at seven thirty," Luke said.

"Wait, how will the diner run without you here to run it?" Lorelai asked, looking shocked, as she got up to join him as they walked towards the door.

"Well, Jess and Caesar are here," Luke said, and then thought about it for a second, then turned back to where Rory was sitting, and said, "Keep an eye on them Rory, I don't want the place burning down."

"Aye, aye, captain!" Rory said.

"What little confidence you have in me Luke," Jess said coming up behind the counter with someone's order.

"Okay, let's go," Luke said to Lorelai. Lorelai smiled, and they left the diner.


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: I know this chapter is very short, but I just wanted to get this story updated since I would probably take too long working on a longer chapter. I'll try to aim higher for the next one, I promise._

* * *

"This restaurant is really nice Luke," Lorelai said, looking around the beautiful restaurant in admiration once they had arrived.

The restaurant was candle-lit, a typical formal place, but unlike anything Lorelai thought Luke was capable of. It was a beautiful, and very formal, restaurant. Lorelai looked over to Luke in this moment only to notice the look on his face that clearly shown he was out of his element in this restaurant. Of course he was, Lorelai thought, Luke was out of his element any time the mandated attire was not flannel. Lorelai couldn't help but to feel bad for the guy, he was clearly trying to impress her. Surely he knew though that this wasn't Lorelai's scene either. In fact, this type of restaurant was a staple of her parents' world. The world she had tried so hard to separate herself from.

Before they could reach the hostess stand, Lorelai pulled Luke to the side.

"Luke," she said, "would you be more comfortable going somewhere else?" She paused, saw the concerned look in his eyes, and quickly continued, "Don't get me wrong, this restaurant is wonderful, and I so appreciate that you would bring me here, but in all honesty do either of us really belong here?"

Luke studied Lorelai for a bit, before nodding his head and saying, "Yeah, let's get out of here." And with that he grabbed Lorelai's hand and they headed back out the parking lot and into his truck.

Luke didn't say anything more, but immediately began to drive. He was clearly aware of his destination, though he failed to mention it to Lorelai. She didn't mind though, the silence was surprisingly comfortable.

Finally, the two reached their destination. The restaurant was closer to Stars Hollow, but it was one Lorelai had never heard of. It was not a chain, that much Lorelai could tell. Upon entering Lorelai could see it was a very "mom and pop" type of place. And it was perfect. This was exactly the type of restaurant Lorelai had hoped Luke would bring her to.

It was clear from the moment they walked in that Luke knew the owner, a tiny, old woman whose face lit up immediately upon seeing Luke.

"Oh, Luke! It's been too long!" She gave him a hug, and turned to Lorelai. "Who is this?" She asked, still smiling just as brightly.

"I'm Lorelai, it's very nice to meet you. This is a wonderful place you have here!"

"Well thank you! It's wonderful to meet you as well, Luke never brings girls with him!"

Lorelai stifled a giggle as she and Luke followed the woman, Luke looked thoroughly uncomfortable and Lorelai was enjoying every minute of it.

The woman led them to a table at the very back that was lit with a single candle. It was just the right amount of cozy and romantic.

The date went incredibly well. Lorelai decided it was the best first date she had ever had, and she had a lot to judge it against. Lorelai felt completely at ease with Luke, though that came as no surprise to either of them. They had always felt comfortable around each other. Even Luke, who often felt out of place with people, felt no awkwardness around Lorelai.

After finishing their dinner, Luke took Lorelai back to the diner. She had decided as soon as she had gotten into his truck, after eating a full meal plus dessert, that she was still hungry and wanted pie from Luke's, of course.

They sat at the counter eating pie, making their usual banter. That is, until Lorelai stopped talking, and changed her tone to a more serious one.

"Luke," she said, "tonight was truly wonderful. Thank you."

Luke smiled the warmest, and most sincere, smile Lorelai had ever seen from him. Immediately she leaned across the counter and kissed him.


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Sorry to take so long updating! I'm working on a few other stories right now so I don't have a huge amount of time to dedicate to this one, but I'm going to make it a priority to keep updating fairly regularly, don't worry!_

* * *

The next morning Lorelai woke up in Luke's bed. The night before came flooding back to her. After they had kissed, Luke had busted out a bottle of cheap wine, and after that it wasn't long before they had made their way upstairs and to Luke's bed.

Lorelai felt groggy, and was in desperate need of an aspirin, as she looked around Luke's apartment for him. He was nowhere to be found, instead Lorelai found a note on the table.

_Lorelai, I had to get up to open the diner, feel free to come down and get some breakfast when you're ready._

_-Luke_

"That's it?" Lorelai actually said out loud, before quickly clamping her hand over her mouth realizing Jess could be in the apartment. She briefly looked around the apartment again and saw no sign of him either, though.

Lorelai didn't think she could simply walk down the stairs from Luke's apartment and go into the diner. Everyone would know she had slept here. She glanced at the clock on the oven and saw it was peak breakfast time, definitely not a good idea to go down that way. Though she had no problem with the town knowing she and Luke were together, she didn't think it was the best idea to have it already be common knowledge she had slept at his place.

So, she was left with one option: climb out the window. This wasn't the best option, especially when she considered it could easily result in her falling to her death in front of the whole town, but in her current state she decided it was the option she was going to choose.

Now that Lorelai had decided what she was going to do, she needed to find her clothes, as she was currently wearing one of Luke's flannel shirts. Comfy, but not practical to leave the apartment in. Lorelai collected her clothes that were strewn across the floor leading to Luke's bed and dressed. During this time she really hoped Jess had not come home last night and seen her and Luke together in bed, though she knew this was most likely not the case.

Once Lorelai had gotten Luke's stubborn window open, she assessed the situation. The roof below the window was mostly flat, so she wouldn't have any problem with that, but she would have to walk across almost the entirety of it to get over to the fire escape on the side of the building. Though this side of the building was not facing the town square, like the other side was, she still risked being seen by townspeople. But Lorelai was dedicated to this plan and she wasn't turning back now.

She carefully climbed out the window, gripping the side of the building as best she could, and once she had her footing, closed the window. There was no turning back now, and she couldn't help but to think about how much this reminded her of being in high school and sneaking out of her own home at night. As she continued to cling to the wall and make her way over to the fire escape, Lorelai thanked all the gods that she had chosen to wear boots to dinner and not heels. Attempting this in heels was a much worse idea, which Lorelai thought would most definitely have resulted in her death.

As she continued, something caught Lorelai's eye. Walking towards Luke's at that very moment were Rory and Dean. The two were blissfully unaware that Lorelai was currently scaling the building.

Immediately Lorelai dropped down on to her knees, attempting to hide herself in any way possible. She couldn't let Rory and Dean see her. She would rather have Babette and Miss Patty see her than Rory and Dean see her. Though Babette and Miss Patty seeing her would mean the entire town immediately knowing what she was doing, including Dean and Rory, so maybe the latter was better.

Lorelai made it the rest of the way to the fire escape crawling and frequently checking to make sure Rory and Dean had not seen her. She sighed with relief when she made it down the escape with no incident. Though after she was in the clear she realized that if Rory was already up and going to breakfast it meant that she had also realized Lorelai had not stayed at home the night before. Unless by some miracle Rory had not checked Lorelai's room before leaving for breakfast, again this was highly unlikely.

Lorelai dreaded having this conversation with Rory later. She knew she was the adult and Rory was the child, but she couldn't help feeling like she was still the teen who was sneaking out at night to see boys and getting caught the next day when she didn't make it back home before her parents got up. At least Rory couldn't ground her.

By the time Lorelai had made it home and changed in to clothes she could be seen in, since she wasn't about to go to the diner in her clothes from the night before after she had gone through all the work of sneaking out, she hoped Rory and Dean would be done eating and gone from the diner. Of course, she had no such luck. When Lorelai walked in, there they were sitting at the counter, as if they were simply awaiting her arrival. Rory turned around almost immediately after Lorelai had entered.

"Oh, there you are! I was worried about you," Rory was smirking at Lorelai. She couldn't help but to think that Rory really was her mother's daughter.

"Yeah, uh, sorry about oversleeping!" Lorelai tried to sound as convincing as possible.

"Well, you were out late last night, so I figured I would let you sleep in," Rory said this so innocently that Lorelai assumed she had planned it. She also could've sworn Rory had winked at her at the end.

"So, should we order?" Lorelai said, sitting down at the counter next to Rory.

Unfortunately for her, this is when Rory chose to get up and say, "We already finished eating and are going to the bookstore now. We were just waiting for you to show up."

Lorelai jokingly pouted and said goodbye to Dean and Rory, but she was actually disappointed they were leaving her alone. She was planning for them to be her buffer once Luke finally showed his face. Just as Lorelai was wondering where he was and if she needed to send a search team for him, he came out of the kitchen carrying a couple plates.

He didn't notice her until he had already set down the plates at a table, but as soon as he did he swiftly came over to where she was sitting and give her a quick peck on the cheek. This caught Lorelai off guard, but it was Luke's next statement that completely shocked her.

"Hey, hun, how'd you sleep?"

_Hun?_ Lorelai thought, amazed. Luke was monosyllable man, and one of the least sentimental people Lorelai had ever met, what the hell was he doing calling her hun?

"Oh, I slept great!" Lorelai replied, as cheery as possible, despite her bewilderment.

It was then she noticed the entire diner had gone silent. She turned around and realized every single eye was trained on them. Miss Patty had an especially gleeful glint in her eye. She knew it had only been a few days that they had been together, but Lorelai was already getting tired of the entire town treating her and Luke like a carnival sideshow.

Luke noticed this too and immediately growled, "Take a picture, it'll last longer!" before stomping off to the back.

Lorelai was actually pleased with this turn of events, she wasn't ready quite yet to broadcast their relationship to the world - she had only half an hour earlier climbed on a roof and down a fire escape to avoid letting the townspeople know she had slept there. Not to mention how weirded out she was by Luke calling her hun.

Everyone in the diner went back about their business, but Lorelai still felt as though at a moment's notice they could stop everything they were doing to focus on her and Luke.


End file.
